Heater



P 1929- L. D. SHREEVE ET AL 1,728,309

HEATER Filed Dec. 29, 192'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 1 j i J91 EJ/(ZTYZE TKS:ZQOWd/D Shfia eve Gcaozg 3% Hubs Sept. 17, 1929.

L. D. SHREEVE ET AL 1,728,309

HEATER Filed Dec. 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 17, 1929 IUNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE LEONARD DALE SHB'EEVE AND GEORGE H. HILLIS,OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA HEATER- Applieaticn filed December 29, 1927. SerialNo. 243,352.

This invention relates to electrically heated fluid radiators, and moreparticularly to radiators adapted to be heated by steam.

Generally stated, the object of the inven- 6 tion is to provide a noveland improved construction and arrangement whereby a steam radiator ofthe ordinary or any suitable construction is equipped with an electricsteamgenerating device, which forms with the radiator an electro-steamheating unit which can be used for heating rooms, and which may beeither stationary or portable.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features ofconstruction, and combinations, tending to increase the generalciliciency and the desirability of an electric space heater of thisparticular character.

To these and other useful ends, the invention consists in the mattershereinafter set 2 forth and claimed, and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an electro-steam heating radiatorembodying the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said radiator.-

Fig. 3 is a detail section on line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagram of the circuits of the switch and electric heatingelement, by which latter the water is heated and converted into steam.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises any suitable or desirednumber of hollow radiator sections 1, coupled together in the usual orany suitable or desired manner to form a multiple-section steamradiator. The upper portion of the radiator has a filling device 2, ofany suitable character, for introducing water into the radiator. At theother side of the radiator there is provided a suitable relief valve 3for automatically relieving the pressure, in case the steam pressurerises above a certain point, being in the nature of an ordinary safetyvalve. The radiator is provided also at one side with an automatic valve4'to permit the escape of air, and which Wlll close automatically whenthe air has all escaped, this being of the kind ordinarily found onsteam radiators, or of any suitable character. Near the bottom of theradiator,

at one side thereof, is provided a hand valve 5 with a water outlet 6,whereby the radiator can be filled until it runs over through the outlet6, thereby to maintain the normal water level at the point indicated inFig. 1 of the drawings. Or, of course, a sight level, of any suitablecharacter, can be used in place of this arrangement, as anything thatwill enable the user to fill the radiator and maintain the desired waterlevel therein will serve the purose.

Preferably, the radiator is provided with legs 7 having casters 8 of anysuitable character, whereby the radiator is portable and may be movedaround from one room to another, or from one place to another.

The electro-steam heating device comprises a cylinder 9 disposed underthe radiator, as shown, having one end connected with the interior ofthe radiator by a pipe connection 10, while the other end of thiscylinder is connected with the interior of the radiator by a pipeconnection 11, as shown. It will be seen that the pipe connection 10extends from a point 12 near the bottom of the cylinder 9 to a point 13on the bottom of the radiator. The pipe connection 11, however, extendsfrom a point 14 near the top of the cylinder 9 to a point 15 on the sideof the radiator, whereby the point 12 is lower than the point 14, whilethe point 13 is lower than the point 15, with the consequence thatwaterwill enter the cylinder 9 through the connection 10, will be convertedinto steam by the covered coils 16 of the immersed, electric heatingelement, and the steam will then escape through the connection 11 to theinterior of the radiator at a point above the said water level. Saidheatin element may be of any suitable character, t e coils having anouter mounting or covering 17 provided with a screwthreaded boss portion18'which is screwed into the threaded opening 19 formed in one end ofthe cylinder 9 previously mentioned. Three wires 20 lead from the handswitch 21 to the terminals of the coils 16, within the covering 17,while two wires 22 lead from the source of current to the said switch,which latter may be of any suitable character.

With the foregoing construction which 1s illustrative of one form of theinvention, the switch 21 can be employed for turning on and oif theelectric current, thereby to control the generation of steam in thecylinder 9, whlch latter is in efiect a small steam boiler. When thecurrent is turned on, steam will be generated in the boiler or generator9, and this steam will escape through the pipe connection 11 into theradiator, as previousl explained, and water will descend throug theconnection 10, to be in turn converted into steam, and this operationwill continue until the radiator is full of steam at the requiredpressure.

While the form of the switch and the character of the electric heatingelement are immaterial, so far as the real object of the invention isconcerned, it will be seen that, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the switchhas four positions, the normal position being designated as Off, whichmeans no current, and the other three positions being designated,respectively, as Low, Medium and High, whereby three degrees of heat maybe maintained in the radiator. For this purpose, therefore, the circuitsof the switch and the two immersed heating coils may, for examp e, be asindicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings,

with contacts in the switch arranged substantially as shown, whereby,with the well known switch of this character, the coils 16 and 16 can beemployed in different ways. For example, when the pointer 23 of theswitch is in the position indicated, the circuits of both coils are openand no current is passing therethrough. However, when the pointer isturned to Low, then one coil only is connected in circuit to receivecurrent; but

when the pointer is turned to Medium;

then the two coils are connected in series to provide moderate heat; andwhen the pointer is turned to High, the two coils are then connected inparallel or multiple, thereby to supply maximum heat. These so-calledthree-heat, snap switches, and double-coil, immersion heating elements,are common and need no further description, as they are found, forexample, in the catalogues of the General Electric Company, in variousforms and sizes.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that a steam radiator is providedhaving a self-com tained, steam-generating device, which device iselectrical and provided with means for converting the heat generated bythe current into steam, as by immersing the electric heating element inthe water itself, or by using any suitable means for enerating steam bythe use of an electric heating device. The radiator may be of theordinary or any suitable character, such as any of the steam radiatorson the market, and the radiator may be of any suitable or desired designor shape, either high or low, long or narrow, depending uponrequirements, just as other radiators are made in different sizes andshapes. 7

A miniature steam boiler is provided with a water connection from thebottom of the radiator, and is provided with a steam outlet connectionwhich connects with the lower axis of the radiator, which axis is thehorizontal line extending centrally and axially of the round orboss-like lower portions of-the radiator sections, by which the sectionsof the radiator are connected to communicate with each other, in theusual manner. In this way steam enters the radiator exactly where itwould if the radiator were simply hooked up to an ordinary steam heatingplant, except that in this case the steam heating plant is carried onthe bottom of the radiator and forms therewith an electro-steam heatingunit.

Thus standard equipment is used practically everywhere in theconstruction of the invention, as the radiator itself may be of anystandard form or construction, and the electric switch and electricheating element are also of standard or well known form andconstruction.

The boiler 9 may be formed by welding a. disk in each end of a sectionof pipe or boiler tube, one disk being drilled and tapped at two placesto receive the pipe connection 11 and the boss 18 of the heatingelement, while the other disk is drilled and tapped to receive theconnection 10 previously mentioned. However, the cylinder thus formingthe miniature boiler, and its pipe connections, may all be made ofstandard or ordinary materials, and hence the manufacturing cost ofproduction of the steam generator and radiator unit as a whole isreduced practically to a minimum, as practically no special parts arenecessary.

It will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to theexact construction shown and described. 1

Thus it will be seen that the vertical sections 1 of the radiator areprovided with coupling means at their upper end portions, in the usualor any suitable form, forming a horizontal upper axis of formation, andthat the devices 2 and 3 are coupled to the radiator at opposite ends ofthis axis. Similarly, the lower portions of the sections of the radiatorare provided with the usual round couplingbosses, as shown, forming alower horizontal axis, practically coincidentwith the sirably coupledaxially to the upper and lower portions of theradiator, thus utilizingthe ordinary coupling means for these purposes.

It will be seen that the container 9 is structurallyseparate anddistinctfrom the radiator, and is readily removable therefrom by breaking oropening the connections 10 and 11 between the container and theradiator. Moreover, it is also true that the heating ole-- ment 16 formswith the head 17 and the rotary screw connection 18 a heating unit whichis readily removable without disconnecting or disturbing the container9, by simply rotating the head 17 to unscrew the heating element fromthe end wallor head of the container. The entire structure, with theexception of the heating element, can be built complete, and the heatingelement, of any suitable character, can then be easily inserted inplace, and may be as easil removed afterward, if necessary or desira le.

Without disclaiming anything, and without prejudice to any noveltydisclosed, what we claim as our invention is:

1. An electric heater comprising a radiator having one or more hollowsections, a cylindrical boiler disposed under the radiator, with thelongitudinal axis of said boiler parallel with the lower coupling axisof the radiator, said boiler having its opposite ends rovided withheads, a pipe connection om the bottom of the radiator to one of saidheads, tapped into the head adjacent to the lower edge thereof, a secondpipe connection from one end of said coupling axis of the radiator tothe other head of theboiler, this second pipe connection being tappedinto the head near the upper edge thereof, a cylindrical boss screwedinto the last mentioned head below said second pipe connection, anelectric heating element projecting into the boiler from the inner endof said boss, and electric current connections extending through theboss to said element, together with means for supporting the radiatorand ilts said boiler in an upright position on the oor.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, in combination with, a filter atone end of the upper coupling axis of the radiator, and a hand valveforming a drain by which to maintain the water level substantiallycoincident with the said lower coupling axis of the radiator. 3. Astructure as specified in claim 1, said supporting means comprising fourlegs for the radiator, and said boiler having one head thereof disposedbetween one pair of said legs, and having its other head disposedbetween the other pair of said legs.

l. A structure as specified in claim 1, send pipe connections and saidboss being disposed in a vertical plane, coincident with the axis of theboiler and the two coupling axes of said radiator, and said boilerhaving entirely imperforate sides.

Specification signed this twenty-second day of December, 1927.

LEONARD DALE SHREEVE. GEORGE H. HILLIS.

